Cong demands white paper on Panaji smart city project

Panaji: Condemning the repeated delays in the completion of the Smart City Mission projects, Congress on Tuesday demanded the immediate release of a white paper outlining a comprehensive account of all completed and pending works. Raising doubts about the expenditure incurred, Congress also called for accountability, requesting action against contractors responsible for alleged substandard work, including blacklisting them from future projects.

“The current state of Panaji is a living testament to BJP govt’s monumental failure. The so-called ‘double engine sarkar’ utterly failed to transform Panaji into a smart city,” said Panaji Congress block president Pratibha Borkar.

Congress also criticised BJP govt’s handling of the smart city initiative, asserting that delays and poor planning will exacerbate issues for citizens, especially during the monsoons.

“Panjimites have been left with nothing but a nightmare of broken roads, incomplete projects, substandard infrastructure, and a city in ruins. With the monsoons approaching, the reckless delays and disastrous planning will only make matters worse for the people,” said Borkar.

Congress said that it will conduct an independent scrutiny of all IPSCDL projects, intending to expose any corruption or fraud. Borkar described the Smart City Mission as a failure, with the state capital left in disrepair despite promises of improvement since 2015.

“We warn you that if all pending works are not completed before the monsoons, we shall be compelled to initiate criminal proceedings against those responsible for negligence and misappropriation of public funds,” said Borkar.